I can't think of any achievements!

<p>I know I've recieved awards, but I can't remember any of them! can you all list the awards you have gotten, to see if it will help me to remember some of mine... Thanks!</p>

<p>It sounds as though you are planning to “remember” the awards others have worked for and received. If you cannot remember your awards, ask your mother. I am sure she can recite every one of them for you.</p>

<p>Here’s one. The award for the lamest and most transparent threads on CC.</p>

<p>Aw, cut her a break–maybe she’s really just forgetful. But still, OP, I don’t see why we should do the work for you. Go read a bunch of the chances threads, where people list their stats and achievements, and maybe you’ll find something to jog your memory.</p>

<p>I agree: If you really can’t remember your awards, ask your mother. If you are trying to fake awards, remember that you can get rejected and kicked out of college for lying on your app. Better to have no awards (something that most colleges don’t pay that much attention to anyway) than to have fake awards that cause you to not be admitted.</p>

<p>Calm down guys, no need to be so vicious. I too forgot some of my awards, and sent applications in that didn’t have a full list. I was a high(ish) scorer on the AMC10 my freshman year, but I totally forgot about it since my math club disbanded. AMC10 didn’t go on my Columbia app, but I put it in the Common App. Things like that can happen. Although the whole “list yours and maybe it’ll remind me” is pretty sketchy sounding…</p>

<p>CTYankee… What is your problem?
Hunt… Thank you. I am very forgetful. I asked my mother, and she was a wealth of information. I’ve been very stressed lately, with two jobs and early applications to fill out and whatnot. I wouldn’t make up awards because I don’t need to. By the way, CT, I assume you are from Connecticut? If so, hopefully I’ll see you once I’m accepted into Yale. Good luck to all!</p>

<p>Here’s a moral to this goofy thread: write down your (or your kids’) awards and achievements as they happen. Keep a file with all the certificates, etc. You will be amazed at how hard it is to remember exactly when some of this stuff happened.</p>

<p>You aren’t kidding. I went into the other room and asked my mother… She walked over to our filing cabinet and pulled out a huge folder full of certificates. I’m sorry I even asked, now that everyone thinks I’m a cheater.</p>

<p>My daughter’s folder (well, it is actually a binder at this point…) even has her perfect attendance certificate from Kindergarten! (She refused, however, to list it.)</p>

<p>I have a son who can’t remember his achievements, too. I worry about what he’ll remember when he’s completely grown up and I’m not keeping track of them for him. I already accidentally found out about one achievement he made in college that he had forgotten to mention. </p>

<p>Hint: Get a folder and when you get an achievement, just put the certificate or other info into the folder.</p>

<p>Quick question here-- are you allowed to put awards down that you attained in Middle School?? I ask because my son won approximately 10 zillion awards in Middle School (many plaques of which are hanging on his bedroom wall right now) but none yet in HS, primarily because they don’t give out awards the same way. They actually had some awards this year (Jr. year) but because he didn’t fill out the essays that would entitle him to them he did not get any. This is really another subject, however, as if the decision was left to the teachers to nominate the kids he clearly would have won something, but anyway… I digress. So it is acceptable to mention middle school awards on a college application/resume?? And I don’t only mean academic department awards. I also mean regional type awards in math competitions, for example–</p>

<p>Middle school awards are worthless, really. There’s a reason why colleges only ask for high school transcripts.</p>

<p>There’s no one answer to any question like this. Middle school awards might be worth listing if they are very significant, and also perhaps if they connect to activities that continue into high school. In general, one would not list them, but it really depends on what they are.</p>

<p>Even if they are significant I doubt college would care, since those awards are reflections of who they were and not who they are now. I know plenty of people who were great in middle school but became drug addicted psychos in high schools, and people who messed up in middle school but surged in high school (me). Middle school awards are simply not very valuable in creating an up to date picture of the applicant.</p>

<p>If they didn’t want to know your grades in middle school, then obviously they don’t really care about your awards. If your awards and achievements in middle school surpass what you had in high school, then obviously schools wouldn’t be impressed by the sort of student you have become. If your awards in high school do surpass those of middle school, then it’s pointless to put down the middle school awards to begin with.</p>

<p>“Quick question here-- are you allowed to put awards down that you attained in Middle School??”</p>

<p>Unless he won National Spelling or Geographic Bee, don’t bother listing them. Colleges care about what a student did relatively close to the time they went to college, so ask only about high school, not middle school achievements.</p>

<p>I believe, however, that it’s okay to show long term committment to an EC by referencing time periods that precede HS. For example, my S has been doing private piano since 4th grade and, since HS, has taken up a little composing, just for fun. Also, he’s being doing Mock Trial since middle school. So I think it’s legitimate to make modest note of such things, especially if the EC serves one of two disparate purposes, either to 1) Show how well rounded the student is OR 2) Show how the student uses his/her academic passion outside the classroom.</p>

<p>My two cents and worth every penny. :D</p>

<p>Again, it depends. If he won the ASCAP Young Composers’ award at age 11, I’d sure mention that, for example.</p>

<p>Okay, I think I understand. It’s a shame though, because for example, my son won every possible math/mathletes/regional math competition award (well, 4th place in the latter) that there was in Middle School, but because of a schedule conflict he did not continue down the ‘mathletes path’ in HS and thus, he currently has no special recognition for his math talents while a student in HS (except for his perfect/near perfect academic GPA in his IB program).</p>